The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-19

determined to try to drown the fire with
carbonic acid gas. The trial is now under
way, and Dan De guile in the Enterprise
gives decription of it. 1t reads like the
description of a battle between mortals and
gnomeS. From the intensely interesting
statement we condense some naked facts A
furnace for the manufacture of the gas is
placed In position on the LOO level OF the
Jphlr mine The furnace is iron, like steam
poller, lined with brick, and the material
USED Tor the manufacture of the gas is coke
and charcoal The furnace is fed at one
end and the gas discharged through a
twelve-inch pipe at the other. The account
says: The draft through the furnace is
very strong, and when the doors are open
the flames within roar like a blast furnace.
Cast iron, or any ordinary metal, would be
melted in moment in the great heat The
furnace makes 10000 feet of carbonic gas
daily, and it is estimated that fifty DAYS
Will be required to subdue the fire, as il is
believed that it fills 100000 feet of the
mine. The pipe is at white heat when
the gas. leaves the furnace This is
carried down into tank or fiume so feet in
length over which 10 inches of water flows
| constantly and cools it. "Then the pipe
enters the main incline, still lying in the
| trough and goes down 20 feet to the ], $50
level. The water dashes down through this
trough and over and around the pipe with
noise Of small Niagara On that level
the pipe enters the bullzhead, which at that
point is "a feet in thickness The pipe is
tamped in with clay and which is kept con-
stantl y wet. The account says:
tremendous draft inside the bulkhead
sucks in the carhonic-acid gas brought there
| through the pipe. When the bulkhead was
| cut through for the purpose of inserting the
end of the pipe, all were astonished at the
draft that was disclosed 1t was so great
that the workmen were Obliged to be on
their guard against being sucked in and car
ried into the regions of interior fire This
| may appear to be an exaggeration, but an
thermometer placed in the current of air
showed it to have velocity of 800 miles an
hour. On the surface of the earth eighty
miles an hour is thought to be "a fearful gale,
but here is gale of 800 miles This brings
into ones mind at once thoughts of the tire
mendous gaseous disturbances to which the
surface of the sun is subject
Ut course this draft was not long left
open. the thrush of atmospheric air. COM
bining with the carbonic-oxide gas within,
| being liable to form an explosive compound.
| The pipe was in readiness, with its lower
end closed, and it was at once thrust through
the opening, and the work of filing in
| around it begun.
As the gas passes in around the bull1head
it settles down into the lowest part of the
lnclosed space, being heavier than the car
b0nic oxide gas within. and also heavier
than atmospheric air. 1t will go down to
the 200 level. There it will be stopped off
and prevented sinking farther by water
Thus all the inclosed space in which are the
smd1dering timbers will be filled up with
| carbonic-acid gas, which will displace the
| carbonlc-oxide gas, just as water poured
into bottle diSnlaceS the air
When all the burning section has been
thus filled up the fact viii be known by car
bonic acid gas flowing out through the pipe
on the 1900 level through which the gas
from the fire is now escaping into the old
Consolidated Virginia shafts.
1t may be said that after the inclosed sec
ton shall have been filed to overlooking
with the carbonic acid gas it will be allowed
to SO remain month or two before any of
the bulkheads are opened. The opening will
be very cautiously done, and only after car
bonic acid gas has taken the place of the car
bonic oxide gas at the escape pipe This
may be known by several tests. A very SIM
pie one is to introduce the gas into lime
water, when precipitate will at once be
formed of the contained lime.
The rock in the mines will retain heat q
long time, but this may be overcome by the
| use of water thrown Oh througha hose, once
| the fire is out and the gas gone
The glowing furnace at the ,760 level of
the Ophir, where the gas is made, presents a
| novel and striking. seene-a scene almost
startling to an old Comstocker coming sud
denly upon it from dimly-lighted drift.
Itsends red glare all about the station,
| such as one sees in big foundry where small
rivers of motion iron are flowing about.
The men, too, look in the red glare like
beings belonging little lower down
in the subterranean regions, where
old Satan is firing up 1t was yesterday
| compared with the furnaces in the hold of a
| big ocean steamer, but here the fire is much
tiercer. The coke and charcoal under the
strong-fearfully strong-draft bring all in
| side the furnace to a white heat The heat
| and glare are so intense that one feels all
the time as though there were danger of
something giving way or blowing up Then,
besides the roar of the furnace, there is the
roar of the falling water in the incline, the
| rattle of cages and the clank of machinery
All these signs and sounds taken together
constitute a pandemonium which is worth
while to experience, as it jolts one out of
the everyday, jog-trot scenes and sensa-
tions of life.